AEUG18002 LeaderShip 2_2018 180227high2

GROUP Chairman’s

GROUP Chairman’s Message | PETER CREMERS A ‘growing’ concern Once again we close the calendar and Lunar New Year with a slightly larger fleet size than what we started out with. Notably, we surpassed the 50 million DWT mark with the addition of the MT Purovsky and welcomed our 300th bulk carrier, the MV Federal Sakura, both in late January. The modest year-on-year growth in fleet size is no measure of the underlying flux in vessel and people movements across the group, but largely thanks to some very committed long-time shipowners whom we are privileged to partner with. Building upon this foundation are several exciting business prospects in the pipeline, which offer an undercurrent of optimism in the new year. For those of you who don’t know us, we are apprehensive when there is stagnation in the group. Expansion is the only way to offset wage inflation, yet in the event of such expansion, we are equally concerned about ensuring the same level of service we are known for. Being constantly concerned seems to be one of our group drivers! A ‘growing’ concern, if you will. But these are the moments when we realise how strong our platform is, not only in terms of available resources in case of need, but the dynamism of these resources when called upon to make things happen. For me, and undoubtedly the rest of the management team, it is a privilege second to none to witness. In his CEO message, Bjorn talks about happy families and a “One Team” culture. Having recently visited our offices in Antwerp (40 people, 14 nationalities) and Hamburg (56 people, 8 nationalities), it is indeed very comforting and makes me proud to see the team spirit at work on the floor, as is no doubt the case across all our other offices. As for the exciting business prospects I alluded to above, I’d like to keep a veil on these until the next issue, if I may. Something to wait for and time for things to develop and unfold! Peter Cremers (centre left) enjoying a meal with colleagues during his recent trip to Hamburg Peter Cremers Executive Chairman 2 | LeaderShip

CEO’S MESSAGE | BJORN HOJGAARD The importance of trust in a One Team culture Trust, the building block of a One Team culture, starts with the individual. It takes courage to trust other people, and it takes integrity to be trustworthy. In a global business, where people are dispersed over great geographical distances, it can sometimes be a challenge to find the team spirit and develop the trust needed for consistent, high performance. Add to the mix a heterogeneous composition of cultures and sometimes unclear demarcations of the extent of the team, and it becomes evident that a “One Team” culture is not a given. In our company, we are close to 30,000 people from very different cultural backgrounds and dispersed all around the world in essentially 650 offices (fixed offices and mobile: ships). Yet, we are expected to work and function as One Team, sharing the same values, following the same norms, and fighting for common success. “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – Leo Tolstoy A team without trust isn’t really a team: it’s just a group of individuals working together, often making disappointing progress. They may not share information, they might battle over rights and responsibilities, and they may not co-operate with one another. It doesn’t matter how capable or talented people are – they may never reach their full potential if trust isn’t present. However, when trust is in place, each individual in the team becomes stronger, because he or she is part of an effective, cohesive group. When people trust one another, the One Team can achieve truly meaningful goals. Trust can be described as “a reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” Think about that definition for a moment. Trust means that you rely on someone else to do the right thing. You believe in the person’s integrity and strength, to the extent that you’re able to put yourself on the line, at some risk to yourself. Trust is essential to an effective team, because it provides a sense of safety. When your team members feel safe with each other, they feel comfortable to open up and expose vulnerabilities. Without trust, there’s less innovation, collaboration, creative thinking and productivity, and people spend their time protecting themselves and their interests – time that should be spent on helping the group attain its goals instead. One way to build trust is to encourage your team members to see their colleagues as people. Think about creating situations that help them to share personal stories and bond. Another way to get the team acquainted, and to form stronger bonds, is to socialise after work or at lunch. This can be especially hard for dispersed teams, which makes it even more important to do if and when given the opportunity, no matter how brief. Open communication is also essential for building trust. You need to get everyone on your team talking to one another in an honest, meaningful way. Trust, the building block of a One Team culture, starts with the individual. It takes courage to trust other people, and it takes integrity to be trustworthy. The reward for putting yourself at risk by trusting your colleagues, and for earning their trust by being a stand-up person whom they can depend upon, is to become part of something bigger than yourself. We all want to be in a happy family, but we must sow before we can reap. It begins with commanding the trust of others through dependable words and actions, and reciprocating that very trust in our colleagues. This is how friendships are born. Peter Drucker, the management guru, famously said that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” and a strong One Team culture is one where trust is in abundance. Luckily, we have a very strong company culture within the Anglo- Eastern Univan Group, so we have a great foundation on which to achieve further success. But we can all help along the way by taking a personal pledge to trust our colleagues and be the person they can depend upon. If you want to build trust, you must lead by example and show your people that you trust others. This means trusting your team, your colleagues and your boss. Never forget that your team members are always watching and taking cues from you – take the opportunity to show them what trust in others really looks like. You can be that person! Bjorn Hojgaard Chief Executive Officer GROUP LeaderShip | 3